Game Development Workshop - Input & Controls

The third in our series of four Game Development Workshops, Input & Controls, will help get you started coding games in Unity.

How to think about Input and controls

Controls are something of a black art in games. How do you make a button press convey meaning and intention? In this workshop, Dylan will discuss practical steps you take control of your control systems as well as philosophical questions to ask yourself when designing your games. We will explore different types of controls in games and the effects they have on a player, how effects and audio can contribute to the feeling of control and some practical examples of how to set it all up. This course should be accessible to beginners while offering tips for experienced developers.

Be exposed to a variety of control setups as well as appropriate use cases for each.

Be able to create basic input systems and attach gameplay controls

Be able to tune settings for input to convey a tone or aesthetic goal

Have practical knowledge of setting up UI systems as for input

Be aware of potential pitfalls and have tools for testing and debugging

Be aware how camera systems, pacing, music and other factors can contribute to the feeling you are trying to create.

Instructor Bio:

Dylan Fries is a freelance game developer, entrepreneur, computer programmer, and artist. He is the founder of Peg Jam and has run over a dozen game jams in Winnipeg in association with New Media Manitoba. He also runs the Winnipeg Game Collective with Daniel Voth and has spoken on dozens of topics related to game development and entrepreneurship. His interests include simulating ecosystems, artificial intelligence, spending time outdoors and digital painting.

Follow us on twitter @WinnipegGameJam or contact us by email at wpggamejam@gmail.com / IGDA Winnipeg on Facebook
Peg Jam, Winnipeg Game Jam and Winnipeg Game Collective are coordinated by Dylan Fries and Daniel Voth.